A long time ago, when people came to visit India, they had to
cross a large river. That river was called Sindhu.
These people could not say the word Sindhu
properly. They called it Hindu
instead. Then they started calling the people who lived across
the river Hindus. This is
how Hindus got their name. The religion of the Hindus is now
called Hinduism. A lot of
Hindus still live in India, but many have moved to other parts
of the world.

The Symbol Om

Om
is an important symbol for Hindus. It is the sound heard
in the deepest of meditation. It is said to be the name
of God.

Founders

Founders of religions are the first people who start teaching
that religion. Every religion has either one or more founders.
Hinduism has hundreds of founders who have taught Hinduism in
different times. The special name given to these founders is
rishi.
These rishis can actually experience God. Rishis can be young
or old, male or female. Here is a picture of an ancient rishi
and a picture of a rishi who lived only fifty years ago called
Ramana Maharshi

Ancient Rishi

Modern Rishi

Holy Writings:

Whatever the rishis learnt about God is found in important books
of Hinduism called the
Vedas.
Hinduism also has lots of stories. These stories are found in
books called the
Puranas

Hindu Prayers

The main Hindu prayer is called the
Gayatri.
The prayer is written in an ancient language called
Sanskrit

Gayatri Prayer:

Let us meditate on the glorious light of God. May She
enlighten our hearts and direct our understanding.